A horrific road accident transpired in the Raigad district of Maharashtra on Sunday, after a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) plunged nearly 1,000 feet into a deep gorge in the Ambenali Ghat section, killing 8 people onboard, officials reported. 

The accident unfolded on the Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar Road, at a distance of 180 kms from Mumbai. The victims, as learnt by the police, were travelling from Dapoli towards Satara during the early hours of Sunday. 

Police said that the mangled vehicle was discovered deep inside the gorge on Monday morning, following an extensive search operation which was conducted throughout the night by local authorities and rescue teams. 

Search begins after victims fail to reach destination

Officials aware of the case said the group had left Harne in Dapoli at around 2 am in the SUV. However, their family raised an alarm after they failed to reach Satara as scheduled. Their kin began searching for the group later in the afternoon before approaching the police.

During the probe, authorities tracked the last cell phone location of the victims near Poladpur using tower data, which eventually narrowed the search to the Ambenali Ghat, a route infamous for sharp bends and steep valleys. 

While combing the area, rescue personnel spotted the wrecked UV lying deep inside the gorge on Monday morning. According to preliminary reports, the police suspect the accident occurred after the driver lost control of the vehicle while navigating the difficult ghat terrain, causing the SUV to veer off the road and nosedive into the valley below. 

Identities of the victims

The ones who died have been identified as Ritesh Lokhande, Suhas Lokhande, Utkarsh Shingte, Nikhil Shingte, Mahesh Pawar, Aditya Salunkhe and Rajesh Katkar, all residents of Satara. Another victim named Ansh Chavan hailed from Ratnagiri district. 

All the victims, as per reports, were aged between 19 and 35 years. 

Rescue ops underway, CM expresses grief

Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis expressed heartfelt grief over the tragedy and informed that authorities were persevering in efforts to complete the rescue operations. He said that the district administration had constituted five separate teams to retrieve the bodies from the gorge.

Until the filing of the report, three bodies have been recovered, and efforts are underway to retrieve the remaining victims. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local volunteer rescue groups have been deployed for the same.